The new shopping paradise for Leipzig, Plauen, Zwickau

This is an English summary. The full article is
only available in German.
By Peter Schmalz

This is an exceptional day in Hof, a small town near the inner-German
border in Bavaria, because the town has never seen so many people
walking its streets on the same day.

The town has 52,300 citizens, and at 6 o'clock p.m. the
welcome money for GDR tourists had been paid out 40,000 times.
Many GDR tourists do not really understand why they are presented
with the sum of DM 100 just for visiting.

The reasons may be found in the Western Germany constitution, but
to practically bring in all the bank notes is a different problem. Around
noon, payments had to be frozen for a short time, and new bank notes had
to be ordered from the regional bank.

However, most of the money stays in town, exchanged for various goods.

Late in the morning, cars are banned from the city centre to make room
for all the tourists. Shop opening rules have been relaxed by the government,
and most shops stay open.

Many shops had supply chain problems because they cannot order
new stock before monday.

The weekend shopping spree almost failed due to a lack of change,
but after local radio station broadcast an S.O.S. to local banks,
enough coins were able for circulation.

People and small businesses in Hof are now hoping for
better times - their location near the border was too
remote to attract many tourists before.

Maybe a dream has come true for a yong man exchanging addresses
with a blonde he met on a shopping trip. "Maybe we'll meet in the
East sometime!" - "Sure, if it becomes as easy for you guys to visit
us..."